Existing (under editing)

Chapter 6*

I ran my figures through my wet hair, letting the water trickle down my neck and down my bare back. A pleasant feeling of freshness and I was glad to be squeaky clean. Wisps of lavender wafted to my nose with every movement, the soft scent giving the felling of home.

Alma was drying herself off, patting down her whole body, flicking her long hair with every move, sending droplets flying. Thunder clouds had started to circle above us as the breeze changed direction, becoming more of a warm summer air. I stood dabbing myself dry as well, eyes coming back to fixate on her. So natural how she moved. She glanced up at me and I pulled my eyes away in embarrassment.

"Come, come," she beckoned, gathering up her things and ringing out her hair, her delicate neck on show. The back I could see a hint of some kind of darkness in her skin like a mark or bruise, but soon enough her hair was flipped back over, letting it trail down her back once more. "We go inside."

I nodded, my eyes following her every move as she walked bare footed on the pebbles, a light crunch under her feet turning into a padded light thumping as she disappeared into the cabin. She had no idea how unaware she was to what lay beyond her forest. What was there beyond? Only in time, will the memories come back. The image of a concrete ground. Always having to look at your shoes. But here Alma lived a happy life with her strangely tame animals and sweet innocence. But was she truly happy? She called out my name pulling me out of the daydream, the melody of her voice pulling me forward. I reached and picked up the towel to follow, and had my legs fly out from under me, pebbles spraying up into my face. I peered up. A paw, purposely placed by none other than Pepper, square on the edge of the towel. I got back up right and pulled at the towel again, but he still held strong.

"Let go Pepper." he just stared, then shook his head. What...? I tugged at the towel again, a frown on my face. He showed no intentions of letting go so I pulled as hard as I could and he simply just lifted his heavy paw. I stubbled back due to my own force and tumbled over onto my bum. My pride damaged by an old dog.

"Pepper! No!" Alma said running up and taking my hand, I swear in the corner of my eye the group of little otters where sitting together, all falling over laughing. Alma pulled me up and I stood shocked still holding the towel.

Alma turned around to Pepper, her hands clenched and her shoulders hunched as she squealed, "What thinking Pepper? He could bump he head again!" she warned, literally giving a faint growl, exposing some teeth. Her words and grammar still not quite correct with her anger but she seemed to be learning fast.

Pepper barked back at her and she continued to quarrel with him, animal like. The conversation going back and forth, my mind felt like it was playing tricks on me. Soon enough Pepper huffed and went into the cabin, care free with his snout held high. Alma slowly turned. Cheeks red with anger, her brows softening from her frown when she saw me.

"Sorry," she sighed. "He's supposed be grown up."

"He understood you?" I gawked.

"Um... yes."

"... You under stood him?"

She just stood there, conflict in her eyes and then sighed, "Come."

She grasped my hand and led me into the cabin. I was still in shock over her and Peppers' confrontation and just followed along, still in the bathing shorts. She lead me to sit in the chair I had woken up in last night and pulled the little side table in front of it and went off behind me. I stared ahead of myself; Pepper was sulking in the back corner in a little pile of blankets. Something was up. I couldn't think straight. Where animals supposed to be this... human? It's like they each had personalities and thoughts, conscious thoughts.

The rain had started to drizzle outside again but it wasn't cold enough to put the fire on. I could see the little bunnies in their hole under the tree trunk among the roots, their heads turning to each other, then to watch the room. Noses twitching and long ears perked up.

Alma returned with a wood chair, placing it down on the opposite side of the table, then little fist sized bowels with different coloured powders in them each. She then disappeared and returned again with sheets of thin bark, papery and light coloured, and a jug of water with sticks poking out. She sat down and pulled one out then selecting one of the small bowels that consisted of a green powder, and started to mix it with the wet end of the stick that seemed to have horse hair tied to it, like a make shift brush. I watched silently as her wrist circled around and around in the bowl.

"Let's play a game," she said, her eyes down watching her hands mix the powder, turning it into a mushy paste as I pulled a jumper over my head that she gestured to that had hung over the back of the chair. "You ask question, I ask question, then again."

I frowned. "How am I supposed to remember anything?"

She gave a little smile, "That's what this for, father I used play, taught to me when I bumped head climbing tree." she added more water to the paste, making it more of a liquid.

"Ok, do I go first?" I asked and she nodded eyes still down. I decided to start off slow. "What's your favourite painting colour?"

She smiled then handed me the paint. "That colour."

"Green," I grinned back as her smile grew brighter. Of course, she was surrounded by it; it's the only colour she knows best. "Ok, your turn."

"What's favourite food?"

I had to think, when was the last time I even ate before my memory had been wiped? I thought hard and an image came into my mind and I immediately painted it down. Alma looked inquisitively at it. I laughed, "What a sorry excuse of a chicken."

"You eat bird?" she frowned.

"Chicken. Hey, it's my turn now," I complained, she smiled remembering the rules to her own game. "Do like chicken too?"

"Just fish, no eat meat." she said, picking at a dry brush. We went on for a couple of rounds, discovering things about each other then she decided to ask. "How did you get here?"

I closed my eyes and allowed my mind to focus. Slowly I was able to see it, "A tunnel. I remember a tunnel."

Pepper had swung himself around and was listening in with his ears giving away his interest as they tilted in our direction, trying to look cool and collected to the other. Alma sat and waited for her question. I went out on a whim. "Can you hear what the animals say?"

She stared, a little smirk, tilting in the corner of her mouth in irony of how bad she could keep her secret.

"...Yes." she leaned forward, with hesitation she finally asked, "How you know? Is that weird?"

I chuckled; she was kind of taken aback. "Think so. Where I come from we definitely cannot speak to or hear what animals say, but then again we don't have any animals since-"

I came up short, surprise on both our faces. My uncomfortableness had been drowned out by the bizarre subject and my memories had been able to bubble a little higher to the surface, tumbling out in my awkward distress as I rambled the first thing that had come to my mind.

"You... remember?" Alma sat up higher, the brush slipping from her fingers, joy played on her smile.

"I think I do..." I stared to grasp at the memories that had come flooding through, unable to name or categorise them. Images waiting to be explored and expanded like files that need to be viewed and reorganised. I started to paint the clearest image. Slowly mountains where forming on the paper, ignoring the sad little chicken in the corner. My artistic skills could definitely get improvement but I kept going, buildings formed and windows shaped. I sat back gasping in the exhilaration of piecing the image together. Alma pushed her seat out and came around to view the painting.

"What is it?" she asked.

I looked down taking it all in. It seemed to be from the view from on top of a hill overlooking it. A city that had once prospered and been a safe haven But this image showed a wall surrounding it and buildings within the city collapsed and fallen to their sides. I took in a shaky breath remembering the destruction and how I had once lived amongst the rubble, unable to escape the walls. This last time I had seen this place.

"It's my home."